What is Your Skin Type?

Have you tried a range of products? Do you think your skin is just the same regardless of the skincare products you use? Are you tired of the way your skin feels? The first step in skincare is to understand what skin type you have. Often people commit mistakes in choosing the right products for their skin. Moreover, a common mistake can be using the same product over a period, and then eventually, your skin may stop responding to the product. Another could be skin type changing due to environmental factors, which you may not realize and continue with the products you have been using.

There are different skin types: oily, dry, combination, normal, and sensitive. It is essential to understand your skin and take care of it.

Oily Skin – If you have oily skin, your T-zone (forehead, nose, chin) is more likely to appear greasy and shiny due to excess sebum. If you have oily skin, you may have enlarged pores and develop acne or blemishes over your skin.

Dry Skin – If you have flaky or rough skin, your facial lines or wrinkles are more visible. You may feel itchy or irritated.

Combination – If some parts of your skin are dry while the rest (T-zone) look shiny and greasy, you may have a combination.

Normal Skin – Normal skin is balanced, neither feeling dry nor oily. It is not prone to breakouts, acne, flakiness, or tightness with visible facial lines or wrinkles.

Sensitive Skin – Sensitive skin is when you feel any burns or rashes on the skin when applying anything like a product. It means your skin reacts to any external agent when in contact with your skin. You must be careful while choosing your products.

How to Find Out What Type is Your Skin?

First, apply a gentle cleanser to your facial skin and then wait for 30 minutes. After your wait time, notice if your face looks greasy or shiny on your T-zone or itchy or flaky, and you can see facial lines or wrinkles on your skin. It may be either or a combination of both oily and dry. However, if you experience a burning sensation or redness with any product you apply, you may have sensitive skin.

After this observation, use a blotting sheet and place it on your skin. Hold the blotting sheets in light, and if the markings contain oil, it is probably oily; if it has lesser to no oil, it means you probably have dry skin. However, if you see blotting sheets absorb oil around the T-zone and the rest of the skin, it possibly means you have oily and dry skin.

Remember, regardless of the skin type, you can have sensitive skin too. You may develop redness, burning, or rashes with any external agents. So, it is imperative to know your skin type to get the most out of your skincare routine.